Hertford

Formed January 1, 1759 (24^th county)

Hertford County (21,552), Winton (631), Ahoskie (4,890)

A red brick Modern courthouse was built in 2015.  It sits at Justice off of Parkers Ferry outside of town on United States Highway 158.  Ware Bonsall Architecture are the building designers.  A new Administrative Building supports the courthouse.  Hertford County was founded on January 1, 1759 from parts of Bertie, Chowan, and Northampton counties as the 24^th county.  It is named for the Earl of Hertford.  There was an 1875 facility previously also in Winton, the only county seat.  The county seat is named for settler Benjamin Winton. 

Hertford County government consists of a manager, a register, a sheriff, an attorney, and a clerk (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Sixteen Superior Court Judges serve Hertford, Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Gates, Granville, Halifax, Hyde, Martin, Nash, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Person, Pitt, Tyrrell, Vance, Warren, Washington, and Wilson counties, Six District Court Judges serve Hertford, Bertie, Halifax, and Northampton counties and a court clerk serves Hertford County (judicial.)  The county is located in the northeast part of the state on the border with Virginia.  Raleigh, North Carolina is southwest and Norfolk, Virginia is northeast of the county.  The county center is 8.7 miles West of Winton nearer Murfreesboro.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Virginia and Gates, Chowan, Bertie, and Northampton counties. 

The area of the county is 360 square miles.  It is 77 out of 100 in the state.  It ranks 78 out of 100 in population in the state.  It has a density of 59.9 persons per square mile making it 71 out of 100 in the state.  Hertford County has 39.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 13 crosses the county from northeast to southwest from Gates County to Bertie County.  United States Highway 158 enters joined with United States Highway 13 from Gates County, splits and continues west into Northampton County.  The county resembles a misshaped hourglass.  Winton is located on the eastern border of the county.  Ahoskie is in the southern quarter of the county.  Winton is the county seat and Ahoskie is the largest city.  Winton is 2.9% of the county population while Ahoskie is 22.7% of the county population.  The largest city is pronounced A-HOS-KEE.